Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The sharp whistle cut off the brief commotion inside the stadium.

The score is 10-8, with Karasuno trailing by two points.

Ryunosuke Tanaka stood on the service line, twirling the volleyball in his hand. The warmth of his spike was still burning in his palm. He grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, and his face looked like that of a bully who had just taken over a territory.

"Bring it on, Aoba Castle West!"

He yelled, threw the ball, and took a running start.

This ball didn't have much fancy spin; it was purely a powerful, miraculous strike. The volleyball hurtled towards the other side like a cannonball.

"I'll do it!"

Hanamaki Takahiro from Aoba Castle West took a half-step back, his movements calm and collected. Although Tanaka was powerful, this kind of ball wasn't difficult to receive if the landing point was judged accurately. With a gentle push of his arms, the volleyball was steadily deflected and bounced high into the air.

The pass was delivered perfectly.

Oikawa Toru was already standing in front of the net.

This is where the professionalism of the Aoba City West team becomes apparent. Even after being down a point, their rhythm remained intact. Kunimi Hideki cut in from the right, his steps light as if he were taking a stroll, yet his speed was anything but slow.

"Kunimi!"

Oikawa Tetsu's fingers were extremely gentle at the moment of contact with the ball, and the volleyball was pushed out at a moderate speed, just right to Kunimi's hitting point.

On Karasuno's side, Tsukishima Hotaru and Sawamura Daichi reacted quickly. The two jumped side by side, their four arms forming a wall in front of the net.

Snapped.

Kunimi didn't force a breakthrough, but instead used a clever timing, spiking the ball just past Tsukishima's little finger.

"One touch!" Tsukishima shouted as soon as he landed.

The ball changed direction and flew towards Karasuno's backfield.

"Leave it to me!"

An orange figure glided along the ground. It was Nishitani Yu, the usually boisterous libero, who was eerily quiet when receiving the ball. He anticipated the deflection, leaned to the left, and cushioned the ball with one hand.

The ball flies towards the net.

At this moment, Kageyama Tobio, who should have been standing there, was gone, replaced by Sugawara Koji, who had a gentle expression.

If it were Kageyama, this ball might become a second chance for attack, or a fast break for Hyuga.

But Sugawara did not.

He watched the ball fly towards him, his footwork quick and precise, his body fully extended, facing the net. His gaze swept across the entire court, finally settling on the left wing.

"Asahi!"

Pass the ball.

The ball wasn't passed quickly, with a slightly high arc, conveying a reassuring sense of stability. It didn't force the attacker to adapt to the ball; rather, the ball waited for the attacker.

Dong Fengxu takes a running start and jumps.

Before them stood a double net from the west of Qingye City.

"Don't even think about going over there!" Matsukawa Kazushige stretched out his arm.

Looking at the net in front of him, Dongfeng Xu felt unusually calm. Sugawara's balls were as comfortable as if they were placed on a shelf for him to hit. He didn't need to worry about whether the hitting point was off or whether the ball would drop too fast.

All you need to do is swing your arm.

boom!

This spike was powerful and heavy. The volleyball hit Matsukawa's palm and was not blocked. Instead, it used its enormous momentum to forcefully push aside the blocker's fingers.

The volleyball bounced into the air and flew out of bounds.

"nice shot--!!"

Tanaka rushed over, grabbed Higashimine Asahi by the neck and shook him wildly, then turned to Sugawara and gave him a thumbs up: "Sugawara-senpai! That was so satisfying!"

Sugawara chuckled and patted Tanaka's buzz cut, feeling its rough texture: "You guys did a great job."

10:9.

The difference has narrowed to one point.

On the bench.

Lu Ren rested his chin on the back of the chair and tilted his head to look at Kageyama Tobio sitting next to him.

The talented setter was staring intently at Sugawara on the court, the water bottle in his hand already deformed from being squeezed, the plastic bottle making a cracking sound.

"Hey, you single-celled organism." Lu Ren nudged Kageyama's heel with his toe. "Staring blankly?"

Kageyama didn't turn around, he just snorted through his nose.

"Feeling really annoyed?" Lu Ren said slowly, his tone laced with a hint of smug mockery. "That pass was completely devoid of skill, slow, and the intention was obvious, but the ace still managed to score. Don't you feel like your 'god-level maneuvers' were outshone by this kind of 'basic attack'?"

"Shut up." Kageyama finally turned his head, his eyes fierce. "I didn't think that way."

"Oh—really?" Lu Ren shrugged. "Then your expression right now looks like a little kid who's been NTR'd... cough, whose toy has been stolen."

Kageyama's temple throbbed, but he turned back to look at the court, his voice low: "Sugawara-senpai's pass... was very steady. When attackers make that kind of pass, they have room to think."

"That's right." Lu Ren snapped his fingers. "Your passing turns attackers into machines that execute programs, while Sugawara-senpai's passing turns attackers into players. Although his ceiling might not be as high as yours, his margin for error is higher. That's what you call the 'version answer'."

The game continued.

Tanaka serves again.

Once this guy gets going, he's unstoppable. Another powerful jump shot.

However, Watari Chikaharu, the libero from Aoba Castle West, was no pushover either. He stepped to the side, blocking the ball's path with his body and raising it high.

"Sorry! It's a little short!"

The ball didn't reach the net; instead, it landed near the three-meter line.

Oikawa Toru had to run out from the net to make adjustments.

"Kkindaichi!"

Even with this kind of corrective shot, Oikawa Tetsu still dares to launch a fast break.

Kindaichi Yutaro suddenly appeared from the middle. This guy with the scraggly haircut was really determined today. He wanted to prove to Kageyama that he wasn't a useless loser who couldn't keep up.

He jumped very high.

"Don't expect to score easily!"

Hinata Shoyo sprang up like a spring. Although he wasn't tall enough, his jumping ability and reaction speed completely made up for it.

Just as Kindaichi spiked the ball, Hyuga's arm stretched out in front of the ball's trajectory.

Snapped.

The ball hit Hinata's palm and changed direction.

"One touch!" Hinata shouted.

The volleyball flew backward, its speed decreasing considerably.

"Chance ball!" Yuu Nishitani easily tapped the ball up.

Kindaichi gritted his teeth after landing, his expression somewhat anxious. It happened again! He felt he could slam the ball in, but that short guy always managed to touch it. This feeling of being "indestructible" was the most frustrating.

Opportunity to counterattack.

Sugawara stood under the ball.

The defensive focus of Aoba Castle West was instantly scattered. A quick counter-attack? Or pass to Tanaka?

Sugawara flicked his wrist and sent it to the left wing again.

It's still Dongfeng Xu!

"One more ball!"

Dong Fengxu jumped again. The same rhythm, the same comfort. Facing a block that wasn't fully organized, he chose a wide diagonal shot.

Boom!

The volleyball bounced off an empty field where no one was defending.

10:10.

They've tied it.

"Yay!!!"

The entire Karasuno crew erupted in cheers.

Sugawara clenched his fist, his smile becoming even brighter than before.

He stood on the field, listening to his teammates' cheers, his heart pounding powerfully.

Watching from the sidelines, the sense of resentment gnawed at my heart like ants. Watching Kageyama and Hinata unleash those astonishing fast breaks, watching the team evolve so rapidly, while I could only sit on the bench handing out towels and cheering.

That fear of being left behind is real.

but.

Because you're standing off the field, your view is much broader.

Aoba Josai's blocking habits, Oikawa Toru's ball distribution strategy, and each player's preferred defensive positioning... these are all things that are clear to those off the court, even when they are confused on the court.

The time I didn't get to play wasn't wasted. All that anxiety and observation has turned into the data that now helps me control the game.

"This is... the obsession of a third-year student."

On the other side of the net, Oikawa Tetsu watched the silver-haired setter, Higashimine Asahi, high-five him and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Cheerful guy..." Oikawa Tetsu gave Sugawara a nickname in his mind. "As a setter, his individual stats are probably not as good as Tobio's. He doesn't have that genius-level ball sense, nor that overwhelming aura."

"However," Oikawa Tetsu glanced at the somewhat impatient Kindaichi, "his offensive plays were all textbook-perfect solutions. The so-called 'optimal solutions.' He didn't pass the ball randomly, didn't take risks, but he also didn't make mistakes. This steady and methodical style actually made the attackers, who were tense because of Tobio's reckless play, completely relax."

Oikawa Toru sighed, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"What kind of freak shelter is Karasuno? Geniuses, ordinary people, madmen... they can actually be mixed together."

At this moment, Coach Uyang Shishin stood up on the sidelines.

"Referee, substitution!"

He held up his number.

Lu Ren tossed the towel onto the chair, stretched his neck, and made a crisp cracking sound.

"It's finally my turn."

He walked to the sidelines and gave a high five to Tsukishima Hotaru, who looked annoyed.

"Good job, Glasses. You can go downstairs and cool down your CPU now."

Tsukishima wiped his sweat and gave him a cold glance: "Don't send him away too quickly, substitute."

"Don't worry, I'm here to finish off the wounded."

Lu Ren stepped onto the stage.

The current front-line lineup consists of: Riku Ren, Sugawara, and Hinata.

"Lu Ren, please." Sugawara patted Lu Ren on the back.

"Understood." Lu Ren stood in front of the net, his eyes instantly clearing. Although his stamina bar was only half full, he had already watched the Boss's mechanics from below enough.

The game continues.

Tanaka serves.

This time, Aoba Johsai's libero, Watari Chikaharu, completely adapted to Tanaka's passing style, receiving the first pass perfectly and sending it directly to Oikawa Toru's head.

"Great pass!"

Oikawa Toru jumped.

Karasuno's front-row blocking immediately went into action.

"Keep an eye on Iwaizumi!" Sugawara shouted.

As expected, Oikawa Tetsu passed the ball to the ace, Iwaizumi Ichi.

Iwazumi attacked from the left, his momentum overwhelming.

Lu Ren and Sugawara jumped to block at the same time.

As he jumped, Lu Ren instinctively wanted to reach the highest point. This was a habit he had when playing games—a test of reaction time and hand speed.

"Slow down!"

Sugawara's voice rang in my ears, "Don't rush, their pace is slower than ours!"

Lu Ren's heart skipped a beat, and he jumped half a second too late.

It's that half-second delay.

When Iwaizumi swung his arm to spike the ball, Rikuren and Sugawara's hands were at the highest point of their block.

Snapped!

The ball struck Sugawara's palm with great force. Although it was powerful and broke through the block, its speed was greatly reduced.

"One touch!"

"Well done!"

In the back row, Nishitani Yu appeared at the ball's landing point with ease, as if she were taking a stroll in her own backyard, and cushioned the ball's fall.

"Counterattack!"

Sugawara landed and, without pausing, ran straight towards the ball.

Hyuga Shoyo has already started.

Give me the ball!

Even without Kageyama, Hyuga's decoy ability was still maxed out. With a loud shout from the middle lane, he took down a blocker from the west of Aoba Castle.

But Sugawara passed it on to Hyuga.

It wasn't one of those amazing, freakish fast breaks, but rather a regular, slightly faster close-range fastball.

Hinata waved her arms.

Snapped!

The ball was barely saved by Watari Chikaji, a free agent from Aoba Castle West.

"He's not dead!"

The ball soared high, but it was only a passive save; the ball flew directly towards the net and was still drifting towards Karasuno's court.

Iwazumi rushed up to try and deal with it, but the location was too far away.

Lu Ren stood in front of the net, watching the volleyball slowly descend, which wasn't very high.

A huge QTE prompt button instantly popped into his mind.

Press F to execute.

He didn't even take a running start; he just jumped from the spot.

Although his physical attributes are only at the C level, it's enough for situations where there's no need for confrontation, no need for anticipation, and all you need to do is press the ball down.

A hand appeared above the ball.

Lu Ren was expressionless, his eyes even looking somewhat lifeless.

"I won't hold back on these easy questions."

Snapped!

There was no earth-shattering roar, just a crisp, clean sound.

Lu Ren slammed the ball into the three-meter line of Qingye City West as if he were dunking.

The ball landed and bounced.

The referee whistle blows.

11:10.

Karasuno overtook them.

"Nice!!"

Tanaka and Hinata rushed over, crashing into Lu Ren from the left and right.

"That spike was so cool, Lu Ren!" Hinata's eyes lit up.

"That's a finishing blow." Lu Ren rubbed his sore shoulder and corrected him, "That's stealing the kill, you know? As long as I'm the one who lands the last hit, the experience points are mine."

Sugawara walked over, smiled, and patted Lu Ren on the shoulder: "You timed your block well."

"It's thanks to the senior's timely reminder," Lu Ren shrugged. "Otherwise, I would have jumped too early and would have been riddled with bullets by that rock-headed guy."

On the other side of the net.

Oikawa Toru landed, watched the volleyball roll away, and clicked his tongue softly.

In that brief moment, he saw the light in Lu Ren's eyes. It wasn't the burning flame of a protagonist in a shonen manga, but rather... the cunning of someone who had succeeded in their scheme.

"Don't worry about it, don't worry about it!"

Oikawa Tetsu clapped his hands, drawing his teammates' attention back.

There was no frustration on his face; instead, he wore an enigmatic smile.

"Kasuno's attack power is indeed very high, and their stability has improved since that cheerful guy came up. Plus that first-year student who likes to sneak around..."

Oikawa Toru pointed to the Karasuno group celebrating across from him, his tone as relaxed as if they were discussing what to have for dinner.

"But we've encountered teams like this before."

He raised a finger, his eyes suddenly sharpening.

Lu Ren, separated by the net, met Oikawa Tetsu's gaze.

He shivered.